Zigzag
by Kittyclaw
Summary: Oneshot, UxS. “Is that why you’re still stuck in this bush? Because you don’t need any help?” Ulrich hesitated, glancing down at the shrubbery he and his skis were currently entangled in. “I’m…I’m just catching my breath.”


**Letter Z in the dictionary challange at Xana's Lair (links in my profile). Also another pairing to add to my resume! Happy Easter everyone!**

"You're kidding me, right?"

Ulrich glared up at Sissi, but otherwise didn't respond to the girl's taunting as he continued his struggle to get himself out of his current predicament.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"And I'm not listening," Ulrich responded stiffly, trying in vain to turn his back on the dark haired girl. She would have none of it, however, maneuvering herself around so that she was back in his line of sight. Ulrich gave her a dark look for her troubles.

"You know, you don't really seem like you're in a very good position to be being mean to me," Sissi said knowingly, lifting her chin a little in an almost condescending way as she spoke. Ulrich openly scowled at the annoying girl.

"I don't see why my position is of any concern to you," he shot back. Sissi arched an elegant eyebrow.

"I guess it's not," she said dismissively. "So excuse me for thinking you would want a little bit of help."

"I don't need your help," Ulrich said flatly. Sissi rolled her eyes.

"Clearly," she drawled. "Is that why you're still stuck in this bush? Because you don't need any help?"

Ulrich hesitated, glancing down the shrubbery he and his skis were currently entangled in.

"I'm choosing to stand here," he defended. "I'm…I'm just catching my breath." Sissi gave him a blank look.

"Sure you are."

"I am," Ulrich said. He motioned off down the slope with one of his ski poles. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to catch my breath in peace."

"Fine," Sissi snapped, looking overly offended by his request. With an imperial flick of her head, Sissi turned on her heel (how she managed the move in a pair of skis, Ulrich would never know) and with a final annoyed huff, she took off down the mountain, blazing a graceful, zigzagging path across the snow.

Ulrich tried his very hardest to not be both jealous of Sissi's prowess and annoyed by how easy she made it seem as he turned his attention back to the more pressing matter at hand—his still trapped skis.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered angrily as he jerked futilely with his leg, trying to free one of his tangled skis from the leaf and branch net without success. He continued to try and get himself free for a few more minutes, but succeeded only in getting one of his ski poles caught on a thorny branch, and then dumping a load of snow out of the tree above him onto his head.

"This is the worst school trip ever," Ulrich decided as he angrily brushed the snow from his hair and shoulders. Once we was out of this damned bush, he was going to get himself back down to the bottom of the mountain, tuck himself away inside the lodge, and not come back out until the busses were loading up to take them home.

"Hey Ulrich!"

Pulled from his thoughts, Ulrich glanced up to see Odd heading towards him, directing his snowboard expertly over the snow. "Still stuck?"

"What does it look like?" Ulrich asked. Odd grinned.

"Don't worry," he said, "you'll get out eventually."

"Why don't you help me get out now?" Ulrich asked.

"I would love to," Odd started to say, but he was distracted by Yumi, who flew past on her own snowboard. "Sorry, can't," Odd said quickly, turning his snowboard back down the mountain. "I have a race to win!" With that, Odd took off, the purple blur launching off of a small ramp and performing a neat flip as he followed after the less showy but no less skilled Yumi.

Following after the snowboarders at a more moderate pace, Aelita waved at Ulrich for a second before planting her ski pole into the ground, looking wobbly and nervous.

"You're doing good," Jeremy assured, following closely behind the pink haired girl. He then glanced over at Ulrich, who could tell the blonde was struggling to contain a grin.

"Having a little trouble?" he asked.

"No," Ulrich responded petulantly. Jeremy ignored the whiny tone.

"Sorry I can't stay and help you," he said, "but I need to stay with Aelita." Thank pink haired girl in question was currently putting quite a bit of distance between herself and her teacher and so, with a final pitying look at his stuck friend, Jeremy continued along in Aelita's unsteady wake.

"Still stuck, I see."

Ulrich sighed, frowning as he looked back at the person sliding to a smooth stop beside him. He should have realized that if his friends were all heading down on their second run, then that meant certain _others_ would be passing by again too.

Namely Sissi.

"What do you want?" Ulrich snapped. Sissi glared back at him.

"You know, you're going to be stuck here all day if you don't let someone help you get unstuck," Sissi informed him. Ulrich did his best to ignore the girl, who sighed. "You do realize you have two choices, right?" she asked. "You either suck it up and let me help you—" Ulrich scoffed, "—or you wait here all day and then Jim as to come get you before we leave. And if that happens," she added, "then you'll never hear the end of it."

Ulrich hesitated a moment, trying to stare down Sissi while he considered his options. Yeah, lowering himself to the level of accepting help from Sissi would suck. But it would suck a lot more if his classmates ever found out he'd had to be rescued after only one attempt at skiing. The soccer team would never let him live it down.

Never.

Ulrich sighed.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"What was that?" Sissi asked. Ulrich scowled at her.

"I said 'fine'." Sissi pretended to look confused.

"Fine, what?" she asked innocently. Ulrich looked like he was ready to hit his head against a tree.

"Fine, you can help me!"

A few passing eighth graders look up, startles as they skied past. Sissi took advantage of the moment, looping an arm around Ulrich's shoulders and grinning at the younger students.

"Are you going to get me out of this bush or not?" Ulrich asked, shaking Sissi off. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, of course," she huffed. "Just stay still." Ulrich did as he was told, praying silently that no one he knew would ski past as Sissi pulled the branches away from his skis, helping him get untangled. It took a few minutes, and quite a bit of colorful language, but the pair eventually got figured out and, with a little bit of working together, Sissi finally got Ulrich freed.

"See?" she asked while Ulrich moved carefully away from the bush. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"That's what you think," Ulrich muttered. Shaking the snow from his skis, he stepped out the mountain. "Uh," he hesitated, glancing at Sissi. "Thanks." Sissi blinked, looking surprised.

"You're welcome," she said, while eyeing Ulrich a little suspiciously. He frowned.

"What?" he asked. Sissi rolled her eyes.

"You're not usually the type to thank me for things," she said. Ulrich shrugged.

"You're not usually the type to do things worth being thanked for," he responded. This time Sissi shrugged.

"It doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing something nice once in a while." Ulrich, despite himself, smiled.

"Could have fooled me." The corner of Sissi's mouth turned up in an amused smirk.

"There's a first time for everything." Her smirk turned into a grin as she shifted, moving back onto the trail. "See you at the bottom!" With a flurry of snow, Sissi pushed off, once again zigzagging away and out of sight. Ulrich raised an eyebrow, watching her retreating pink clad back.

"First time for everything," he muttered with a shrug. "Sure, why not?"


End file.
